Author Archives: Harry K. Jones

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Creative Examples Abound

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This is our third installment in a series of articles sharing creative company names and signs. Traveling cross country can provide you with an idea of just how creative people can be as they strive to produce names that will catch the eyes of customers in hopes they’ll pause to investigate, like what they find, and hopefully past the word on to others.

Click on the following links to see the entire list: Search for Creativity and Creative Search Continues. Take a look and appreciate the creative juices which flow across our country.

  • SHEAR PERFECTION (salon)
  • HAIR WE ARE (salon)
  • SHEAR INSANITY (salon)
  • HAIRWAY to HEAVEN (salon)
  • CURL UP AND DYE (salon)
  • BEST LITTLE HAIR HOUSE IN DENVER (salon)
  • U OTTER STOP INN (bar)
  • FRANK N STEINS (beer, brats & hotdogs)
  • E FISH n’ SEA (seafood)
  • PIER PRESSURE (seafood)
  • SEAS the DAY (seafood)
  • PITA WRAPBIT (wraps – pitas – smoothies)
  • UNLIMITED PASTABILITIES (pasta)
  • JUAN in a MILLION (Mexican food)
  • PITA PAN (pita shop)
  • FedUp (deli)
  • MEAT U THERE (meat market)
  • LOX STOCK & BAGEL
  • JUST FALAFS (good mood food)
  • LETTUCE EAT (sandwich bar)
  • NIN COM SOUP (soup & sandwich)
  • THAIPHOON (Thai food)
  • THAI TANIC (Thai cuisine)
  • MOON WOK (Chinese take-out)
  • WOK & ROLL (Oriental food)
  • WOK THIS WAY (Oriental food)
  • BREW HAHA (coffee shop)
  • THE HUMAN BEAN (coffee shop)
  • A BREWED AWAKENING (Espresso shop)

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Thomas L. Friedman

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Not everyone may know this author by name, but they’ve certainly been exposed to his work. He’s an award-winning American journalist, columnist and author. He is an op-ed contributor to The New York Times, whose column appears twice weekly and mainly addresses foreign affairs. If you haven’t actually read his articles, you’ve more than likely heard them discussed on almost every cable TV channel during the evening news. He has won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize three times, twice for International Reporting (1983, 1988) and once for Commentary (2002).

Thomas L. Friedman’s reporter’s curiosity and his ability to recognize the patterns behind the most complex global developments have made him one of the most entertaining and authoritative sources for information about the wider world we live in, and that’s exactly why he’s invited to join so many weekly television news panels. He definitely helps his audience see and understand the big picture which is so critical in this age of global influence.

Friedman is also the author of landmark bestsellers like From Beirut to Jerusalem, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Longitudes and Attitudes, The World Is Flat and Hot, Flat & Crowded.

Ann and Thomas Friedman live in Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. The July 2006 issue of Washingtonian reported that they own “a palatial 11,400-square-foot (1,060 m2) house, currently valued at $9.3 million, on a 7½-acre parcel just blocks from I-495 and Bethesda Country Club.” Friedman is paid $50,000 per speaking engagement.

Friedman began writing articles while on the staff of his high school’s newspaper. Upon graduating from college, Friedman joined the London bureau of United Press International. He was dispatched a year later to Beiirut where he stayed until 1981. He was then hired by The The New York Times as a reporter and was re-dispatched to Beirut at the start of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. His coverage of that war won him the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting.

He was assigned to Jerusalem from 1984 to 1988 and received a second Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the First Palestinian Intifada. Afterwards he wrote a book, From Beirut to Jerusalem, describing his experiences in the Middle East. Friedman covered Secretary of State James Baker during the administration of United States President George H. W. Bush. Following the election of Bill Clinton in 1992, he became the White House correspondent for the Times.

In 2002, Friedman won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary “for his clarity of vision, based on extensive reporting, in commenting on the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat.” He is also the recipient of the 2004 Overseas Press Club Award for lifetime achievement, and has been named to the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth.

The World Is FlatFriedman first discussed his views on globalization in the 1999 book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree. In 2004, a visit to Bangalore and Shanghai gave Friedman new insights into the continuing trends of globalization and the forces behind the process, leading him to write a follow-up analysis, The World Is Flat.

If you read only one book this year, make certain it’s this one. Follow this link for our website book review: The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.

In this revealing page-turner, Friedman demystifies our brave new world for us, allowing us to make sense of the often bewildering global scene unfolding before our eyes. His aim is not to give you a speculative preview of the wonders that are sure to come in your lifetime, but rather to get you caught up on the wonders that are already here. The world isn’t going to be flat; it is flat. What Friedman means by “flat” is “connected”—the lowering of trade and political barriers and the exponential technical advances of the digital revolution have made it possible to do business, or almost anything else, instantaneously with billions of other people across the planet. He explains it all in breathless narrative and great detail dating from the year 1492 until today.

Friedman describes “The Ten Forces That Flattened the World” and “The Triple Convergence”—subjects which most of us know very little of even though both affect us in dramatic ways.

I promise you this, open this book and you become captive until you reach the final page. Upon reaching that final page, you’ll understand why this author has attained such greatness. You may not agree with his politics, but you can’t deny his research, observations and recommendations.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Creative Thinking at Its Best

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We sometimes overlook the fact that creative thinking can be used at every level of our existence. In fact, the more often we exercise that important approach to problem solving, the better we become at it.

It’s also important to note that anyone and everyone can and should put forth an effort at being more creative in our attempt to overcome obstacles and solve problems. In fact, here’s an example to prove that fact.

A high school principal was alerted by one of the janitors to a persistent problem in the girls’ bathroom. Apparently, some of the female students were leaving lipstick kisses on the mirrors. The janitor had left notes on the bathroom walls requesting that the girls cease this practice but to no avail. Every evening the janitor would wipe the lipstick off the mirrors, and the next day even more kisses would reappear. It soon became a bit of a game.

The principal usually took a creative approach to problem solving. Therefore, the next day he asked a few girls from each class to meet with him in the bathroom.

“Thank you for coming,” said the principal. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are several lipstick kisses in the mirrors in this bathroom.”

The girls immediately grinned at each other.

“As I’m sure you know, modern lipstick is cleverly designed to stay on the lips, and therefore the lipstick is not easy to clean off the mirrors. We have therefore had to develop a special cleaning regime, and my hope is that when you see the effort involved you will help spread the word that we’d all be better off if those responsible for the kisses would use tissue paper instead of the mirrors in the future.”

At this point the janitor stepped forward with a sponge squeegee, which he took into one of the toilet cubicles, dipped into the toilet bowl, and then used to clean one of the lipstick-covered mirrors.

The janitor smiled. The girls departed and never again were lipstick kisses found on the mirrors. That, my friend, was creative thinking!

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Patricia Aburdene

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Patricia Aburdene is not only a very talented author. She’s also a world-renowned speaker and advocate of corporate transformation. She inspires audiences with a concrete blueprint of how values and consciousness will transform business. She has lectured throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, and the Pacific Rim.

Her career in business journalism began at Forbes magazine in 1978. As a Public Policy Fellow at Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, from 1993 to 1996, she explored emerging leadership models.

Patricia holds a BA in philosophy from Newton College of the Sacred Heart, a BS in library science from Catholic University, and four honorary doctorates. In 1990, she was awarded the Medal of Italy for her interpretation of global trends.

She collaborated with her husband John Naisbitt on the publishing phenomenon Megatrends which topped best-seller charts in the U.S., Germany, and Japan. She and John then co-authored the New York Times number-one bestseller Megatrends 2000. These big hits were followed by the bestselling Re-inventing the Corporation and Megatrends for Women.

Her new book, Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism, was published in 2005. Collectively, her books have sold more than 14 million copies worldwide.

In each of her Megatrends books she proposed ten Megatrends (changes), that would shape the information age. She’s been very accurate with her predictions and many major organizations have utilized her predictions in strategically planning for the future.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Failure Tax Emerges

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Just about the time I think I’ve seen it all … I quickly learn how wrong I am! I was recently shocked by a headline in our local newspaper serving a community of 150,000. It read: “Going out of Business? That’ll be $50.”

Yes, it’s pretty much what you guessed it to be. It was the story of two local businesses located in a dying downtown area which simply couldn’t keep their doors open any longer. Both stores are well-known national franchises operated by hard-working local residents. They did everything they could to succeed and finally had to throw in the towel. Both were in the middle of a going-out-of-business liquidation sale when they received a letter from the City Clerk informing them they needed to pay a fee of $50 for a license to go out of business … the final nail in the coffin of their businesses. As one owner put it: “$50 to close—can you believe it!”

Adding insult to injury, the application for the going out of business license also required an itemized list of goods to be sold, described with make and brand name … plus a separate list of goods purchased 60 days or less immediately prior to the date of application including the cost of each item, name and address of the source, date of purchase and delivery date, and the total value of the inventory. Apparently, this fee is standard all over the country. What were they thinking?

The City Clerk claims the $50 license fee is a consumer-protection measure to prevent businesses from duping the public with false “going-out-of-business” sales. Here’s a much cheaper way of doing the same thing: When a business advertises “going-out-of-business” and then doesn’t do so—fine them $50!

The way the license fee is set up at the moment, it’s nothing less than the city kicking the merchants while they’re down. May as well rub their nose in it one last time to remind them of their failure.

Here’s another thought: Just don’t pay the fee—you’re going out of business anyway. Well, the geniuses running the city have considered that course of action as well. They have another law that says if you don’t purchase the “going-out-of-business” license and adhere to all of the requirements, you will be charged with a misdemeanor, punishable by up to $500 in fines and six months in jail.

Remember when those in government were elected or hired to serve the taxpayers? Apparently, those days are long gone. I wonder if any of these civil servants are aware of why we left England to come to these shores.

I wonder if they’re aware that April 15, there will be well over 300 well-organized Tax Day Tea Party Protests taking place from coast to coast—each predicting a minimum of 5,000 people attending each. That number is expected to grow between now and the 15th.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Leadership Messages Seldom Change

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I recently had an opportunity to visit the library of a major university and must admit I was a bit overwhelmed by the resources available to our students today. This library was so large they had to paint lines of various colors on the floor to guide you to your destination.

Upon arrival, I immediately beelined to the leadership/management stacks to see what they had to offer. This particular librarian must find it difficult to part with older titles because I discovered hundreds, yes hundreds, of titles in this particular category.

What I found amusing, as well as intriguing, was the fact that so many authors utilized a “hook” in form of celebrity names to get the attention of potential buyers. Be it a business leader, politician, military leader, TV program, religious leader, or cartoon character, they’ve all been associated with leadership or management in hopes of increasing sales. For instance, within a few shelves I found the following titles:

  • Churchill on Leadership
  • Leadership Lessons from Star Trek
  • Moses on Management
  • Shakespeare on Management
  • Leadership Lessons of Robert E. Lee
  • Patton on Leadership
  • The Leadership Genius of Sitting Bull
  • Business Leadership the Marine Corps Way
  • Bart Starr: When Leadership Mattered
  • Vince Lombardi on Leadership
  • Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun
  • The Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan
  • Toy Box Leadership
  • Leading People the Black Belt Way
  • Swordless Samurai Leadership
  • Lee Iacocca’s Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
  • And there were many, many more … especially in the Presidential arena.

These titles don’t even begin to include the hundreds of standard leadership and management books which constantly line the shelves.

However, returning to the above list … do you really think each of those so-called “celebrity experts” are offering something new and unusual in this crucial area? If you had the time to sit down and actually compare content, you might be surprised at the amount of repetition you’d discover. There are, of course, many different approaches to leadership. However, there aren’t so many that hundreds of books are required to describe them all. There is a great deal of duplication in theory.

Even though theories may differ, the majority of what’s offered today has been proven to be successful to various degrees. Why then do we see so many businesses fall by the wayside every year? In fact, while there were more than 671,000 new businesses opened last year, 544,800 closed down!

The problem does NOT lie in a lack of theories, strategies, tips, tools, or programs. Most all business leaders are well aware of what it takes to flourish in today’s chaotic business environment. They also know how other organizations have reached a level of achievement in the past. The problem lies in a lack of execution.

We address this issue in many of our seminars, keynotes and leadership boot camps. We’ve discussed it at great length on our website and blog. We call it the “knowing-doing gap.” While the closure of this gap is crucial to your future success, few organizations seem to address it.

In research for his recent book, Execution Revolution, author Gary Harpst discovered:

  • An astounding 90% of well-formulated strategies fail due to poor execution!
  • Only 5% of employees understand their corporate strategy! Unbelievable!
  • Only 3% of executives think their company is very successful at executing strategies, while 62% think they’re only moderately successful, or worse.

In short, read all you want on the subject of programs such as Baldrige, Lean and TQM. You’ll find the subject matter interesting, and you’ll enjoy learning about the many successes of those who have successfully executed such programs.

Read about knowledge management, data mining tools and scorecards for performance measurement and management. You’ll learn a great deal.

Investigate new models of training and employee development as well as personal and executive coaching. In the end, you will have read, researched, investigated and probably learned much. Now you KNOW what to do. However, you have invested a great deal of time, energy and effort to no avail at this point. True success and ROI emerges only when you successfully execute what you’ve learned. The “knowing-doing gap” must be closed at every level of the organization in order to enjoy true success.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

What the Mind Can Conceive …

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I must assume that the majority of our readers are familiar with anagrams. In the rare event that you’ve never heard the official definition, here it is: “A word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase.” For example, Elvis to Lives.

Anagrams have been around forever and, while I find them entertaining, I’m fascinated with the thought of their origin. According to some historians, anagrams originated in the 3rd century B.C. (285-247 B.C.) with the Greek poet Lycophron who lived in Alexandria.

Think about the culture at that time. Consider this Greek poet and the millions of creative minds to follow that actually considered the challenge of dissecting a word or phrase to reconstruct still another word or phrase that actually related to the original thought. The success of those attempts represents the capabilities of the human mind.

I find it sad, indeed, that we can’t seem to channel that tremendous mental potential to solve so many of the horrendous challenges facing our country today: current National Debt, mortgage crisis, healthcare costs, education trade balance, pork barrel spending, jobs, social security, and so many others.

What we can do is strive to channel that potential to confront the many challenges in our own workplace and communities. In the meantime, enjoy the results of those who focused on anagrams.

  • Listen = Silent
  • The Eyes = They See
  • The Hilton = Hint: Hotel
  • Dormitory = Dirty Room
  • Postmaster = Stamp Store
  • Astronomer = Moon Starer
  • Schoolmaster = The Classroom
  • Protectionism = Nice to Imports
  • Slot Machines = Cash Lost in ’em
  • Western Union = No Wire Unsent
  • Clint Eastwood = Old West Action
  • Eleven Plus Two = Twelve Plus One
  • Christmas Tree = Search, Set, Trim
  • The Morse Code = Here Come Dots
  • Snooze Alarms = Alas! No More Zs
  • Statue of Liberty = Built to Stay Free
  • The Country Side = No City Dust Here
  • David Letterman = Nerd Amid Late TV
  • A Domesticated Animal = Docile, as a Man Tamed It
  • The Public Art Galleries = Large Picture Halls, I Bet

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Gone – And Almost Forgotten

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I recently heard a political genius on one of the news shows discussing the new $3 Trillion Stimulus Plan. In his wise rhetoric he actually pointed out that we’re no longer in the “five-and-dime” era. What an observation!

I couldn’t help but wonder if this well-known politician had any clue of the make up of his current constituency. I would have to guess that at least 80% of those he represents have no idea what “five-and-dime” refers to. It’s frightening to consider that our future lies in the hands of people who think like this. What was he thinking?

For those who have read this far and may fall into that large group who are not familiar with the term “five-and-dime,” allow me to enlighten you. The term “five-and-dime” refers to a variety store where everything costs either five cents (a nickel) or ten cents (a dime). Kind of hard to believe, isn’t it?

The originator of the concept may be F.W. Woolworths (later Woolco), which began in 1878 in Utica, New York. Other well-known “five-and-dimes” that existed across the country included S.S. Kresge (later K-Mart), W.T. Grant, McCrory’s, and Ben Franklin Stores.

Chat with your grandparents, and they’ll explain the joy of a pilgrimage to their favorite “five-and-dime.” You’ll hear detailed explanations of uneven, squeaking wooden floors, background music, the smell of fresh popcorn and peanuts, candy counters that stretched on for what seemed forever and lunch counters where you could choose a booth or bright-red revolving stool to enjoy a hamburg, fries and a large Coke for 85 cents! In fact, the popular lunch counter made Woolworth’s the largest seller of restaurant food in the world! There’s much more to this fantasy world, but I’ll let you learn that from your grandparents.

The early 1970s saw the demise of the “five-and-dime” … a victim of cultural changes. The growth of malls and discount stores and the demise of downtown shopping centers took away the foot traffic that dime stores needed to survive. Inflation took away the five-and-ten-cent prices. Today, we’ve grown accustomed to the many variations of the Dollar Store concept, but the atmosphere and joy of the “five-and-dime” can never be replaced.

Apparently we’ll always have a friendly politician to remind us that the “five-and-dime” era has passed … even though his audience has no idea what he’s talking about. What was he thinking?

Other well-know “five-and-dimes” included:

  • Butler Brothers
  • Kress Stores
  • J.J. Newberry
  • TG&Y
  • McLellan’s
  • G.C. Murphy
  • Neisner Brothers (later Big N)
  • H.L. Green
  • Walton’s Five-and-Dime

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Statue of Liberty Sold at Auction

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While the above headline is obviously false, for the moment, I’ll bet you didn’t have a hard time believing it, did you? That pretty well sums up the current state of financial chaos in our country today.

Now let’s take a look at a true example. While it too is easy to believe, it’s still a little shocking to accept—but it’s true.

The tallest building in the U.S. is now owned by a London-based insurance broker and will soon be getting a new name. Chicago’s Sears Tower will be renamed the Willis Tower after the Willis Group Holdings Co.

Willis is moving five local offices and nearly 500 employees into the 110-story building. The move is expected to be completed by late summer. Willis will occupy more than 140,000 square feet at $14.50 a square foot, and the company will not be paying anything extra for the naming rights.

In 1969, Sears, Roebuck & Co. was the largest retailer in the world, with about 350,000 employees. Sears executives decided to consolidate the thousands of employees in offices distributed throughout the Chicago area into one building on the western edge of Chicago’s Loop.

The Sears Tower is a 110-story, 1,450.58-feet skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. At the time of its completion in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York. Currently, the Sears Tower is the tallest skyscraper in the United States and the fourth-tallest freestanding structure in the world.

The Sears Tower Skydeck observation deck opened on June 22, 1974, and is located on the 103rd floor of the tower. It is 1,353 feet above ground and is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Chicago.

I, like millions of other tourists, have taken my children to this famous landmark to experience a breathtaking view of Chicago, to experience how the building actually sways on a windy day, and to see far past the city to see Lake Michigan, and the states of Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin on a clear day. 1.3 million tourists visit the Skydeck annually.

In January 2009, the Skydeck began a major renovation, including the installation of window space which will extend approximately four feet out over Wacker Drive. The new installations will be boxes made entirely of glass, allowing visitors to look through the glass floor to the street 1,353 feet below. The idea is based on similar glass bottom attractions at the Grand Canyon and in Australia. The renovation is expected to be complete in April 2009.

In February of this year, the owners announced they are considering a plan to paint the structure silver. The paint would “rebrand” the building and highlight its advances in energy efficiency. The estimated cost is $50 million. Many will always remember the towering black structure regardless of the paint job.

The top of the Sears Tower is the highest point in Illinois. The tip of its highest antenna is 1,730 feet above street level or 2,325 feet above sea level. The antennas atop the Sears Tower are struck by lightning an average of 650-675 times per year.

Money can do a lot—both good and bad. We’re all seeing that today more than ever before. It’s changing the name of the tallest building in the U.S., but only on paper and maybe a few signs here and there. In the hearts of billions of locals and tourists around the world, it will always be the Sears Tower in our hearts, minds and memories.

By the way, this is just one of the many American landmarks that are disappearing on a regular basis. It’s been happening for quite some time, and we simply don’t seem to recognize it. Watch this column for additional examples in the near future.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Shared Responsibility

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Total involvement and shared responsibility by everyone at every level is key to the success of any organization in today’s challenging world of change, competition, and survival.

The following Generational Gem illustrates the critical need for everyone to understand that all members of the organization have something to add and should strive to make certain that they each play their role.

Shared Responsibility

My apologies if this story is well-known to you. It’s an old joke, yet a useful illustration for various themes. A mother repeatedly called upstairs for her son to get up, get dressed and get ready for school. It was a familiar routine, especially at exam time.

“I feel sick,” said the voice from the bedroom.

“You are not sick. Get up and get ready,” called the mother, walking up the stairs and hovering outside the bedroom door.

“I hate school, and I’m not going,” said the voice from the bedroom. “I’m always getting things wrong, making mistakes and getting told off. Nobody likes me, and I’ve got no friends. And we have too many tests, and they’re too confusing. It’s all just pointless, and I’m not going to school ever again.”

“I’m sorry, but you are going to school,” said the mother through the door, continuing encouragingly. “Really, mistakes are how we learn and develop. And please try not to take criticism so personally. And I can’t believe that nobody likes you—you have lots of friends at school. And yes, all those tests can be confusing, but we are all tested in many ways throughout our lives, so all of this experience at school is useful for life in general. Besides, you have to go, you’re the Principal.”

And so it is in the workplace as well. The President of the Board, the CEO, and Vice Presidents throughout the organization must “show up” ready to contribute as readily as every front-line employee on the payroll. The responsibility, successes, failures, and all resulting consequences must be shared by the entire organization. In today’s chaotic world, the presence or lack of shared responsibility can and will make a critical difference.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.